Piercing through darkness
by ima
Summary: It's been two years since the battle with Galaxia and the scouts are beginning to think that they are no longer needed as soldiers. But they are mistaken, for an evil man and his four creations are about to ruin everything. The galaxy is falling into darkness and the Starlights return to help but Sailor Moon is doubting herself and everyone else...
1. Almost peaceful life

Piercing through darkness

" It's time."

Many pure lights in the galaxy have flickered and gone out. Smothered by darkness and greed, the disease of hate spreaded into many hearts. So many that have been destroyed and so many that have yet to face the same fate, completely ignorant to the dark clouds advancing.

" It's time for a message to be sent."

A black swirling sphere floated inconspicuously through the galaxies, silently poisoning the surrounding planets. From inside, a ghostly face slowly emerged from the shadows of black swirling mist that made up a room, a twisted smile creeping across his mouth. The dark figure slowly walked over to a large tank filled with red liquid, his shoes echoeing through the darkness with each step. A young girl floated in the fetal position, her light pink hair swaying around her naked body. Tubes were shoved into her flesh.. " So beautiful." the man said as he petted the glass. Next to her sat three more tanks with the same scenerio only two of the others were male.

"You have all served me well," he grinned as he began slowly pacing back and forth in front of them. "but we are not finished yet, there is more to be done."

An image of Earth appeared from the mist. His crazed eyes glanced over at the apparition. Seven sparkles shone brightly, forcing him to squint. "There will be more who try to stop us." "They will try to protect their planet...filled with the ones they love."

He smiled and looked back at the tanks. "but they will fail..." He turned and began walking away, his smile fading " Just like all with such foolish hopes do."

He paused and glanced back at the tanks. " I trust you will make sure of that." He then disappeared into the darkness.

The silence that had filled the room was disrupted by a small crack in the glass holding the pink haired girl. Her fingers twitched and her eyes gently opened revealing bright golden orbs.

...

" You want us to leave?" Sailor star fighter asked in shock.

"But princess!-" Sailor star maker cried.

"They must be warned of the danger approaching and aided, should it head for Earth." Princess Kakyuu explained. All three of them stared at her in disbelief. Fighter clenched her fists in frustration, for she was torn in two directions.

"They can protect their own princess!" Sailor star healer bursted.

"Healer..." Fighter looked to her in astonishment.

" Yes," Maker stepped forward. " They no longer have anything to do with us!"

Princess Kakyuu closed her eyes slowly then reopened them. " If this enemy continues to grow as it has been then I fear she is our only hope of stopping it."

" Demo!-" Healer yelped.

"Healer!" She silenced her. "You all must help protect her, for her light may be the only thing that can peirce through this darkness."

"Princess," Fighter finally spoke up. " In this time of danger, the only one we want to protect is you." The other two starlights looked to her.

Princess Kakyuu's expression softened. "...and I would love to have you three by my side forever." All three looked to her, tears falling from their eyes.

The moment was broken by her next sentence. " But.. before my safety, the safety of the galaxy must come first." She closed her eyes and began walking out of the room.

"Princess!-" Healer started after her but Fighter grabbed her shoulder. Healer looked to her with blurry eyes, then quickly turned away.

...

As the three starlights jumped into space leaving a trail of yellow, green and red lights lingering behind them, Princess Kakyuu stared after them as she remembered her very last orders to Fighter,

_"Is this what you really want?" Fighter asked, appearing behind the princess on her balcony._

_"..It isn't about what I want Fighter." Kakyuu closed her eyes. Fighter stared at her, tears threatening to fall. "Please come princess!-" Fighter started._

_" I cannot," Kakyuu looked to the city. " To protect our beloved planet, I must stay here." There was a moment of thick silence._

_"How long are we to stay?" Fighter finally asked. Princess Kakyuu turned around and looked sadly to Fighter._

_" Until this is over."_

_Fighter studied her princess's face for a moment. ".. Yes princess." She closed her eyes and bowed before leaving._

"We must entrust our fate into her hands now. She with the light brighter than the sun." Kakyuu said still staring into the sky. "Forgive my weakness Starlights, I fear that you will be facing many dangers in the near future and I will not be there to protect you."

"aww," a taunting voice of a young girl came out of the shadows. " now wasn't that sweet."

Princess Kakyuu gasped and whipped around. Her eyes darted all around the room looking for where the voice came from. She stepped further into the room only to have the balcony doors slam behind her.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" She demanded into the pitch dark room.

The girl's giggles echoed throughout the room.

"Who I am doesn't matter," she answered simply. " It's what I do that does."

The princess felt the floor become wet and mushy. "What's happening!" She panicked as she began to sink.

" You will understand soon enough." the girl purred. " but you were right, you won't be there to protect them."

Princess Kakyuu gasped as she sank deeper. " The starlights! what are you going to-"

" Don't worry princess.." a soft hand carressed her cheek. " They will be joining you soon enough."

...

Luna stood up and readjusted her sleeping position on Usagi's soft bed. For some reason she was having a hard time falling asleep. She couldn't shake this eerie feeling of danger coming. She sighed and rose again, this time gently moving over to the window and staring out at the sky.

Luna's thoughts: She wondered why she felt this way. They hadn't had any new enemies appear since the battle with Galaxia and that was almost two years ago. Sailor Moon and the Sailor scouts had been able to go back to their regular lives and live peacefully like normal teenagers. It's almost as if all the fighting and strange things had never happened. Well...except for the casual conversations with a cat that is, she corrected herself.

Mamoru had left once again to study in America since all the time he should have had, he had his starseed stolen and hadn't spent any actual time in America. Luna knew it was hard for Usagi to be supportive of his decision and so Luna had spent her time making sure the princess was occupied with school and friends. Lately though, Usagi seemed to be getting lost in thought. Probably disbelieving that she was not needed as sailor moon anymore.

Luna's thoughts were becoming too tangled. She shook her head and reoccupied her place at the foot of the bed, deciding to not tell Usagi about the dark feeling.

The next morning, Luna awoke to a peaceful melody. It was playing from the token Mamoru had given Usagi in their previous life. She opened one of her eyes to see Usagi sitting on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest while staring down at the open star locket in her hand. Luna got up and stretched her muscles before walking over to get a better look.

Usagi didn't seem to notice her presence, still staring at the locket with tired eyes. "..Usagi-chan?" Luna said, with a worried tone.

Usagi looked to her with surprise. " Oh...Luna." she said, gently rubbing her eyes. She stared at Luna for a moment then scratched her head in embarrassment. "aghuh gomen Luna! did you say something?"

"Usagi-chan, you've been daydreaming while listening to that a lot lately." Luna observed.

Usagi looked surprised.. " uhh! well!..I uh...have... been ...thinking about .. alot of stuff...and it ..helps me relax...so.." Usagi struggled to come up with an explanation.

" Do you miss Mamoru?" Luna questioned. Usagi seemed surprised by the question. " Why don't you write him another letter?" she suggested thoughtfully.

Usagi's happy energy faded and she looked away. "Usagi- chan?" Luna said with concern.

"Uuusaagiiii!"

They were interrupted as both were startled by Minako's shout.

...

Usagi and Minako joined the scouts at their regular cafe for lunch.

"Isn't she cool!" Minako shoved a magazine into Usagi's face. Usagi peeled the magazine off and looked at the cover.

An adorable looking girl with long light pink hair that curled and waved all the way to her had golden fawn eyes that made her look angelic and she was wearing a red dress and licking a lollipop while winking at the camera.

"Lulu?" Usagi took her time pronouncing the name written across the top. " Who's she?"

Minako gasped. " You don't know?! Only the hottest new celebrity! She sings, she acts, she models, and she's so freakin adorable!"

Usagi stared blankly at Minako. " I heard she's only a freshman in highschool." Makoto added.

"Being so famous at such a young age could seriously affect her GPA." Ami said with worry.

"More like it gives her more time to work her way up to the best and get any hot guy she wants!" Rei pouted with jealeousy.

" I hope we star together in a movie someday..." Minako beamed with stars in her eyes as she imagined it.

The scouts got into a fight about who would be best at starring in a movie with her. Usagi watched them with a smile on her face.

She really had enjoyed having the peaceful time without enemies turning people into phages. For the time, there was nothing she would rather do than hang out with her friends and watch them bicker like this. She enjoyed the happy energy that surrounded them.

Usagi wondered if she would ever be known as Sailor Moon again. No new enemies had come and things seemed pretty normal. Maybe she was supposed to just live like any other teen now. None of them had talked about it as they all just assumed another enemy would eventually show up... but it had been two years.

She looked out the window as she remembered the last battle with Galaxia and how she had won the battle and saved everyone. Looking back, she didn't know how she had mustered the courage to do so.

She remembered the Starlights and how they had grown to like eachother, and fight on the same side. So many fun memories with them, and so many fun ones she had with Seiya. ...Seiya. She hadn't thought about him for a long time. She missed the starlights...she missed Seiya. She closed her eyes and imagined him in her mind. His image appeared and he turned to give her a mischevious smile and a wink.

The first few months after the starlights left was very hard on her. She had gotten used to them hanging around and knowing that she would probably never see them again made her stomach churn.

The sudden memories of him made her eyes begin to fill with tears. She quickly wiped them away, hoping none of the scouts had seen her.

"Which of us do you think she would Usagi?"

Usagi snapped out of her thoughts and looked to Minako who had asked the question. "Ughh mmahh hh...gomen what were we talking about?" She fidgeted nervously.

"Usagi! Would you pay attention!" Minako growled. " Which of us do you think Lulu would want in her show?"

" eetto..." Usagi scratched her head and pretended to think really hard. " Me." She said cutely.

"What!" they screamed in unison. The scouts began arguing again.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HEY SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO SLOW GOING...THERE WILL BE MORE HAPPENING IN THE NEXT EPISODE! PLEAZ REVIEW! THANKYOU!  
**


	2. visitors

Chapter 2! thanks for waiting guys! p.s. i don't own anything.

Usagi lay awake in bed, looking at the stars and thinking about old memories. She loved remembering how she met the scouts. She wondered how five people with such different personalities could fit each other so well. Thinking about all the fun times she had making faces at Rei-chan brought a smile to her lips. Then she remembered always being called odango atama. Then Mamoru came to mind, another who always called her that.

She reached over and opened her top dresser drawer, removing something shiny. She laid back on her bed and held the locket above her head. She gently opened it and the sweet melody began to play. She watched the little moon go round and round with a smile. Tears began to flood from her eyes as she remembered his relentless name calling…Odango..

Then another face forced its way into her mind. She stopped crying. He resembled Mamoru, but he had much more gentle features and long black hair pulled into a ponytail. Usagi closed her eyes, while tightly clamping the locket closed. Why did I think of him?

….

Usagi stood under a white wicker archway, red roses draped and intertwined throughout it. A long white gown hugged her slender figure with the gentle wind blowing the long base of her dress along with her endless veil behind her.

"Usagi.."

She looked to her right to see the scouts, her eternal friends, standing in front a great crowd of Lunarians.

"Good luck Usagi.." Rei-chan sweetly smiled to her. "..Yeah Usagi," Makoto chimed. "we are all so proud of you."

"And don't forget, that we will always be here if you need us." Minako winked.

"..My friends…." Usagi's eyes brimmed with warm tears. " Thank you…for everything."

" And so will Mamoru-san!" Ami added, nodding her head forward. Usagi turned to see her prince standing before her. His black tuxedo contrasted her white dress. Usagi allowed her tears to trickle down her cheeks as she gazed at him.

"…Mamo-chan..." was all Usagi could whisper.

RIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNG RIIIINNNNNG

Usagi was abruptly ripped from her lovely dream and her eyes shot open from the deafening noise. She groaned as she felt around for her cell phone, flipped it open and held it to her ear.

"moshi mos-"

"USAGI! WHY ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP? I TOLD YOU TO BE AT THE PARK LIKE THREE HOURS AGO!I JUST ASSUMED YOU GOT LOST! Minako shouted into her ear. Usagi sighed and held the phone away to save her ringing eardrums.

"Minaaaako, it's our last day of summer…can't we just-" Usagi slurred.

"NO!" Minako cut her off. "It's Lulu's modeling shoot with Noriko Okamachi! Everyone else is gonna be there and you promised you'd come! This is my one chance to see Lulu in person!"

"Minnnnaaaa." Usagi groaned.

"I'm coming over there right now and you better be ready by the time I get there!" Minako barked. There was a loud beep and then silence. Usagi rose from her bed, grabbed the chair from her desk, shoved it underneath the doorknob and with a satisfied grin, plopped back onto her bed.

…..

"This is pointless," Yaten yanked off the 4th shirt he'd tried on. They found that the studio room they had stayed in when they were previously on Earth had not yet been reoccupied, even some of their clothes and shoes were still there.

"Just pick one." Taiki moaned. His tone dripped with annoyance as he turned a page of the magazine that rested on his lap.

"I'm talking about being here!" Yaten snapped, trying to contain his aggravation. "Sailor moon has her own guardians to help protect her! So why!….." He smacked the wall.

"We have to trust the Princess's judgment." Taiki sighed without looking up.

"Even if it puts her life in danger?!" Yaten shouted, finally letting his emotions loose. "What if something happens and we aren't there to protect her!"

Taiki ceased what he was doing and looked to the ceiling. ".…then even though it was the Princess's wish for us to leave her…I will never be able to forgive myself for obeying."

Yaten looked to him with astonishment. He hadn't realized that Taiki felt the same way he did….only he was better at suppressing it.

Their conversation was interrupted as Seiya opened the door. He was wearing a red shirt, black pants, and dark sunglasses. "She wasn't there." Seiya sighed, throwing his sunglasses aside and plopping on the couch.

"Figures," Yaten sneered. "Of course they're off having fun while other people do their jobs."

Seiya shot him a warning glance that he chose to ignore. "Don't mind him Seiya," Taiki soothed. "He's been crabby all day."

Yaten frowned and flipped his hair, his way of showing that he felt guilty.

"Just today?" Seiya mocked him. Yaten turned up his nose and began fumbling through the closet again, pretending not to hear him. "We need to find them." Seiya finally changed the subject.

"Why not just wait until they come home tonight?" Yaten mumbled while slipping a green shirt on, then joining them on the couch.

Taiki shook his head. "No, we can't be too careful. We should find them now."

Yaten huffed. "Good luck with that." He grumbled while trying to brush wrinkles out of his shirt.

"Your optimism is overwhelming." Seiya chuckled. He reached over and scrambled Yaten's hair, earning a smack on the arm and a death glare. Seiya and Yaten began bickering in the background.

Taiki closely examined a page in his magazine than smiled. "Knowing them, they're probably at this."

Seiya held Yaten's face away and turned his attention back to Taiki. "What?" Taiki held up the magazine page. The top read in big letters, **LULU'S LIVE MODELING SHOOT**. Seiya gasped at the picture of one of the cutest girls he'd ever seen. She had long curly pink hair slightly passed her knees and bright golden eyes. She wore a doll-like dress while licking a lollipop and winking.

….

"If we missed anything I will personally see to your destruction!" Minako growled.

"aaaaahh minako-channn!" Usagi whined after every step she took as Minako pinched her ear tightly. After fifteen agonizing minutes of Minako pounding on Usagi's door, she finally climbed in through the window.

"We're almost there." Minako reported. Usagi began to think back on her dream that Minako rudely interrupted. Everything was so perfect in it. It was just how she always imagined her wedding to be. She had a weird feeling though that something was missing from it. She began to go over it in her mind, trying to find the imperfection. Minako took notice in Usagi's pensive expression and raised an eyebrow.

"Usagi?" She questioned. "Is there something on your mind?"

Usagi began laughing nervously. "It's nothing!" They finally arrived at the park and Usagi was stunned by how many people were already there. She could barely see over the crowd. It was way worse than with the three lights.

"How are we even going to see anything?" Usagi moaned.

Minako began to laugh evilly. "We will simply use these V.I.P passes that I got and ditch all these crazy fans."

Usagi eyes began to water as she gently gripped her heavenly pass. "..h-h-h-how!." was all she could bring herself to say.

"I have connections." Minako said proudly, flipping out her phone to text someone. A few seconds later her phone buzzed. "Come on, Rei and the others are already back there."

…

When Usagi and Minako met up with the others, they couldn't believe it. They were standing less than ten feet away from the astonishing modeling shoot going on. As promised Noriko Okamachi, who had now grown her hair out past her waist, was wrapping her arms around a small adorable girl that Usagi presumed to be Lulu. Pose after pose, each one cuter than the last.

"They look so cool…" Usagi murmured.

"Noriko's become really famous hasn't she…" Makoto observed.

"Yeah," Rei agreed. "Apparently she's been getting lots of roles in movies."

"Who cares!" Minako quietly yelled. "Why does she get to be so cuddly and personal with Lulu like that?!" Minako boiled, completely ignorant to the weird stares she was receiving from her friends.

"Yeah," Rei decided to tease her. "They look like they are really close!"

Usagi laughed and joined in. "Ya, like sisters even!"

Minako was engulfed in flames.

"NORIKO!" A man shouted. The scouts turned to see the camera director becoming frustrated. "Not like that! You need to make your left leg straighter. "

"uh…gomenasai." Noriko said nervously. "Like this?" She repositioned herself.

"NO!" he snapped. "Now your arms aren't right! Don't raise the right one so high, now turn it more towards me-NO don't move your legs! NORIKO!"

"ug..gomen…like this!…or..this!" Noriko was becoming panicked and clumsy.

"uggh!… how many times do I have to tell you…" He placed his hand over his eyes and let out a long sigh. "I don't know, maybe we shouldn't have used you for this shoot."

Noriko's eyes widened and she fiercely tried to hold back her tears. There was a long thick tension.

"Let's just take a ten minute break." He said finally. Noriko nodded and ran to her trailer. The camera crew put down their things and settled down for a quick rest. The scouts watched her leave and stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

" Ne ne Director-san?" An angelic childlike voice spoke up. Usagi turned her head to see that Lulu had stepped forward. Now looking at her up close, she looked smaller than Usagi had thought. The top of her head barely reached Usagi's shoulders. She was much cuter in person too! Her hair looked so silky and soft as it dripped down passed her knees. Usagi wanted to reach out and stroke it. Her skin was flawless and porcelain. And her bright golden orbs and innocent smile made her look so pure and naive. All of the scouts were in awe.

"May I go check on Noriko-san …she looked so upset?" Her tone was so sincere that it made the director become flushed. No human could say "no" to this adorable girl. He simply nodded his head then shyly turned away, blushing along with the rest of the crew.

"Arigatou!" She beamed. "Come along Sylvester!" She whipped a purple stuffed bunny off of her chair and took off towards the trailers.

"ah!-" Minako yelped after Lulu but she was out of hearing range. "I'm sure you'll get another chance to meet her..." Ami comforted Minako.

"Sugoi," Makoto mumbled, plopping into a chair. "She was like an angel."

"Yeah…unlike someone we all know." Rei sneered at Usagi.

"And who exactly are you talking about Rei-chan?!" Usagi barked.

"Wellll…-" Rei purred. "Aww come on guys, not here!" Makoto pleaded.

"Poor Noriko…" Ami changed the subject.

"Yeah," Rei added. "He was pretty hard on her."

"Pffff!" Minako scoffed. "It's her own fault! When you are a professional you have to do everything perfect or you'll get yelled at!"

"That's a little harsh…." Makoto laughed nervously.

The camera director stood up and began setting things up. "I'll get them." He sighed, then jogged towards the trailers.

"I hope Lulu was able to calm her down…" Usagi said worriedly.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

Everyone was startled by the sudden scream. The scouts jumped to their feet. The director came bolting towards them, eyes full of terror. In the background something dark shot into the air then landed gracefully in front of him, blocking his escape. It was in the shape of a familiar woman with long hair and pouty lips, still wearing what looked like a dress and boots. It was difficult to tell though because she was completely covered in a sickening black color, with burning red eyes. "A monster!" Civilians everywhere began screaming with fright and running away in a panic.

The scouts were in shock, not fully understanding. Usagi took her broach from her pocket, intently gazing at it.

"Usagi!" Rei snapped her from her daze. "Transform!"

"..H...Hai!" Usagi nodded and spoke the words she never expected to say again. "Moon Eternal, Make up!" Her stomach fluttered and she felt a gentle glow in her heart as she once again became Sailor Moon. On cue, the scouts transformed as well.

"Aaaahh! NO! go away!" The director cried.

The shadow woman began to laugh. "I'M SORRY YOUR POSITION ISN'T RIGHT! YOUR ARMS AND LEGS ARE ALL WRONG!" She screeched in a raspy voice, the end of her right arm shaped into a camera.

"…n…noriko?!" The man began to tremble with fear as the shadow stepped closer. "THAT'S PERFECT! NOW STAND STILL!" She shot a blast of black muck resembling scorching tar that barely missed him as something quickly grabbed him and sped passed.

"Stop right there!"

She turned to see Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts standing behind her, Sailor Jupiter supporting the now passed out director.

"To attack such talented and hardworking people at such a beautiful place is despicable! For love and justice! The beautiful sailor soldier...Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

She began cackling.

"Noriko-san! Please! Don't do this!" Sailor Moon pleaded.

"I am not a failure!YOU ARE A FAILURE!" Noriko growled and shot her arms forward, now shifting into large dripping claws. The Sailor Scouts leaped out of the way. The ground that it hit began to bubble and melt.

"MARS!" A large flaming bow and arrow appeared into Sailor Mars's hands. "FLAME SNIPER!" She shot the arrow straight at the dark Noriko. It shoved her back then pierced her through the stomach, creating a large hole that slowly closed up. Sailor Mars stared in shock. Noriko's arm grew much larger and she shot it like a powerful waterfall at Sailor Mars, slamming her into the ground. She let out a painful cry as it began to ooze all around her.

"Mars!" Sailor Venus and Mercury cried. "VENUS! LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" "MERCURY! AQUA RAPSODY!" She stroked her harp and a blast of water collided with Venus's power sending a wave to collapse over the shadow woman. It became silent as they nervously looked around for her. It seemed that the water had washed away all the darkness. Sailor Mars softly struggled to raise her bruised and aching body, her Fuku ripped and tattered.

"Is it over?" Sailor Moon questioned.

"Sailor Moon!" Venus cried. Sailor moon looked up to see Noriko dropping quickly towards her, a wicked and jagged teethed grin across her face. She let out a gasp, and dropped to her knees, squeezing her eyes shut.

"STAR SERIOUS LASER!" A large white blast slammed into Noriko, sending her crashing into a tree. Smoke sizzled from her as she angrily looked around for where the attack came from. A familiar snapping started; drawing attention to three senshi's standing on a bus.

"Penetrating the darkness of night,"

"Streaking through the atmosphere,"

"Resounding truth, we are three shooting stars!"

The Sailor Scouts gasped in astonishment. Sailor Moon opened her eyes and whipped her head around to find gentle ocean eyes looking back at her.

"SAILOR STAR FIGHTER!" "SAILOR STAR MAKER!" "SAILOR STAR HEALER!" "SAILOR STARLIGHTS, STAGE ON!" The Starlights announced. There was a silent moment as they stared at each other.

A young boy with shaggy dark blue hair and deep blue eyes appeared beside Noriko, wearing dark clothes and an annoyed expression. "Get up!" He wrenched her to her feet. "Destroy them!" He ordered, roughly tossing her forward. The senshi's attention turned to Noriko and the boy, except for Sailor Moon who continued to gaze at the Starlights. Noriko let out a screech and charged forward.

"Sailor Moon watch it!" Mars yelled.

Sailor Moon let out a gasp as she turned her attention to the angry Noriko who was seconds away from plowing into her. Noriko exploded into the ground as Sailor Moon flashed out of the way. The scouts sighed with relief when they found Sailor Moon being carried bridal style by Sailor Star Fighter.

"STAR GENTLE UTERUS!" Sailor Star Maker's sparkly bubble attack thing shot at Noriko, sending her crashing to the dirt.

"Sailor Moon, now!" Sailor Star Healer shouted. She nodded her head as Fighter set her down gently.

"STARLIIIIIIIIGHT! HONEYMOOOOON! THERAPYYYYY! KISSS!" Sailor Moon held her scepter high into the air as pink lights blasted at Noriko. Noriko tried to resist, blocking herself with her arms. Sailor Moon kept at it, firmly planting her boots into the earth. The black ink began to melt off of her arms. She let out a cry and lowered them, exposing her entire body to brilliant power. Sailor Moon's energy was draining from her body. Her arms began to feel heavy and she struggled to keep them in place. The rest of the darkness clinging to Noriko finally dissipated and she plummeted to the floor. Sailor moon also allowed her exhausted body to drop to the floor, the scepter skidding to her side.

"Sailor Moon!" Venus and Mars ran over to help her. They all looked back to where the boy had been standing but he was already gone. Healer and Maker walked over to join fighter while Mercury and Jupiter ran to support Sailor Moon. There was a long stillness as they all took in the mindboggling events that just took place.

..pff! Healer let out an amused chuckle. "She is just not a lucky woman." She snickered, realizing who Sailor Moon had just saved.

A mysterious figure watched the group from the shadows.

**AUTHORS NOTE: HAHA NORIKO DESERVED IT!(incase you don't know who that is, it's the girl who called Yaten gay in the series...so rude.) SORRY IF IT'S A BIT LONG,I WAS ON A ROLE! THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW! :D **


	3. crazy school days

Sorry sorry sorry for making you wait so long. Its been really crazy here. I'll try to be faster in the future. I don't own anything. blah blah blah.

Usagi turned over in her lukewarm bed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. The irritating moon was determined to keep her awake. She sighed and turned back over. The unbelievable way she spent her day was more than enough to keep her awake all night. She flipped onto her back and cracked her eyes open, recalling the contents of the last few hours.

_"A shade?" Minako repeated, sitting on the couch in the Starlight's dim apartment. Everyone gathered in the room including Haruka and Michiru who both leaned quietly against the wall. The television quietly talking in the background._

_Taiki nodded his head. He sat back against his chair and closed his eyes. "A few months ago, our princess started to feel the presence of an evil energy. She could sense many bright hearts in the galaxy that were being overpowered by shadows. We soon learned about the devastation of many planets…and about shades, which were now dark and monstrous versions of their former selves."_

_"So," Makoto started. "They are like phages?" _

_Taiki shook his head. "Not exactly. When phages were created, they were turned into dramatic and dangerous outburst of what their hobbies or lifestyle is like. It also doesn't come from an impure star seed being forcefully taken out. They are at their strongest in the dark, when there's light, they grow weaker. This is like a virus that grows quickly within someone and blossoms into a shade. Once it's triggered, the strength and hunger comes from inside the host. What we don't know is what triggers the transformation."_

_"What about that boy who was with Noriko earlier?" Minako asked._

_"Yeah, it seemed like he had control over her!" Ami gasped._

_"That was the first time we've seen that boy. He may be the one who's causing people to turn into shades."_

_"Then next time he shows up, how about I just fry him." Rei said with fury in her eyes._

_"He's probably working for some higher up bad guy. So there's probably more where he came from." Yaten answered condescendingly. _

_"How did you know they would come here next?" Minako questioned._

_"They are made to kill anything light or good in the universe, especially sailor soldiers, and our princess worried that a planet with so many senshi would be the next target." Seiya said while brushing the bangs from his eyes. _

_Haruka opened her eyes. "And so she sent us you three?" She snickered with amusement. "...some reinforcements." She sighed. _

_The room immediately became filled with an aggravated tension. _

_"What was that?" Seiya snapped. He stood from the couch, challenging Haruka._

_"We don't need your help protecting our planet or our princess." Haruka turned to accept._

_"That's entertaining," Yaten purred. "From what I recall, any time your princess is in danger, you're either elsewhere..." He stood up and glowered at her. "Or you're the ones putting her in it!"_

_Michiru looked shocked by the affront. Haruka's eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed. Angry from his unpredicted insult, she stepped forward heatedly, forcing Taiki and Seiya to take stance defensively in front of Yaten._

_"Stop..." Usagi interjected. She stepped in-between Seiya and Haruka. "Why?" Usagi murmured, her hands forming into trembling fists. "Why do we always have to fight!" She shouted. Both the outer senshi and the starlights looked to her in surprise. _

_"We're on the same side…but you act like they're the enemy!" She said directly to Haruka and Michiru._

_There was a gentle conflict in Haruka's eyes. She then let out a small sigh and stepped back, her eyes shifting elsewhere. Seiya let out a cynical huff and plopped back down. The others also returned to their spots._

_"She's right." Taiki agreed. "Our princess sent us here for a reason, and even though our aid may not be what you were hoping for... it's the only one you have right now."_

_Everyone sat quietly for a moment. No one wanted to look at each other for it would only deepen the reality of things. _

_"Tell us all you know." Makoto spoke in an undertone. Taiki nodded and resumed explaining what he knew, the scouts now and then popping in a question. An hour dripped by as the details of the evil they were about to face washed all of their self confidence down the drain. _

_"Taiki," Seiya interrupted his endless illumination. "Lets continue this conversation tomorrow; we have school in the morning."_

_Taiki looked at him with an irritated expression for interrupting. He looked around at all the exhausted people and agreed with a sigh, allowing them to make way to the door. Haruka and Michiru were the firsts to exit. Yaten and Taiki remained in their spots, watching their once trusted friends leave their sights once again, feeling more like strangers._

_"Minako, can you walk Usagi home?" Rei asked. _

_"That's like twelve miles!" Minako whined. Rei looked unpleased._

_"I can walk her home." Seiya offered, raising himself off of the couch. The scouts looked cautiously at each other for a moment than smiled and nodded. _

_Yaten and Taiki followed Seiya with their eyes as he left. The room fell silent._

_"Baka." Yaten snorted and turned his attention to the television._

_…_

_"So Mamoru went back to America only a short time after we left." Seiya confirmed what Usagi had told him. The two stood on the sidewalk in front of her house, leaning against the gate and looking up at the stars. _

_"mm." she mumbled with a nod. _

_"I see." He replied with an unreadable expression. _

_"But my friends have been there for me…so I'm never lonely." She smiled fakely._

_Seiya quickly glanced at her face, a hint of worry in his eyes._

_"Sorry that I wasn't much help in the fight today." She looked at the ground._

_"Don't worry about it." He patted her head. "You haven't had to fight for two years; you're bound to be a little out of form...besides, until now we weren't sure there was a way of turning shades back into their original forms. You really are amazing."_

_An awkward air had obviously grown from the missing time. Usagi thought for a moment then looked to him. "Thanks for saving me earlier…I..didn't think that I would ever see you again."_

_He looked surprised by the sweet tone. Then his expression softened and he gently touched her cheek with his fingers. She twitched at the sudden contact. "I will always protect you." He said very seriously, wanting her to hear and remember each word. They stared at each other for a long time. She could see the obvious affection that he held for her sparkling in his eyes._

_ Usagi suddenly became extremely embarrassed and quickly jerked her face away and returned to looking at the stars, trying not to blush. He gazed at her side profile. She really did emanate royalty, staring up at the stars like a lonely princess in a fairytale._

_"I'm glad that you are happy with him…." He sighed. Usagi stopped staring at stars and turned to look at him again. _

_"Arigatou..." She said, a dazed and mystified look over her face._

_"Our princess wishes for our return as soon as this is over." He said suddenly, refusing to look her in the eyes. _

_She didn't quite understand his thought process but she could feel regret coming from him._

_"Goodnight Odango." He whispered and slightly smiled at her then turned and walked away. She watched as he disappeared down the sidewalk like a ghost. Something subconsciously bugging her but she couldn't figure out what._

….

"The target has been confirmed Father. They are teenage girls who probably go to the high school in the area. How careless these earthling senshi are." An undertone young boy's voice reported. A man dressed in a long black robe that flowed off of him slithered into a huge dark thrown. His face slightly hidden by shadows. The man stared down at the servant kneeling before him. The servant was just a young boy with disheveled dark blue hair. He had emptiness in his blue eyes that made him unsettling. The dark room was arctic and disturbing. The atmosphere had an eerie sensation that hummed everywhere.

"And she is ready?" He inquired.

"Yes, everything is taken care of Father." A boy with light green spiky hair spoke up, stepping forward next to the dark blue haired boy. He had light red eyes and a attractive grin. The two were roughly the same age.

"Very good." The sinister voice sounded pleased. "And while she is spinning the web, you three will finish the rest."

Another young girl with light brown hair pulled into two long braids at her sides that went passed her calves stepped forward as well. "Yes Father. It will be your glory." Her longing chocolate eyes clearly showed how much she wanted to please him.

"Go." He dismissed them. The three bowed in unison and dispersed into the darkness. The man sat in silence; his pasty white hands tightly gripping the armrests of his chair.

"My glory?" He said with amusement. "No my dear Sara. It will be no ones victory."

He began to freakishly laugh. His voice very sing-song and troubling.

"It will only be the demise of us all."

…..

_"And don't forget, that we will always be here if you need us." Minako winked._

_"..My friends…." Usagi's eyes brimmed with warm tears. " Thank you…for everything."_

_" And so will Mamoru-san!" Ami added, nodding her head forward. Usagi turned to see her prince standing before her. His black tuxedo contrasted her white dress. Usagi allowed her tears to trickle down her cheeks as she gazed at him._

_"…Mamo-chan..." was all Usagi could whisper. He held his hand out to her and she slowly began to raise hers to his. She looked deeply into his eyes, those eyes that she had been longing to see for so long. _

_"I love you so much Usako." He placed his hand gently on her cheek. "Do you still love me?" He asked so sincerely with a look of insecurity in his eyes._

_It seemed like such a stupid question to Usagi. Here the man that she had been desperately wishing to be with for so long was asking her if she loved him. He had been with her for so long; they had been through so much. She couldn't imagine herself without Mamoru in her life. She opened her mouth to ease his worries about her affection for him, but when she tried to speak nothing came out. She tried again but it felt as though an apple had been lodged in her throat. Her eyes widened as she began to panic. She couldn't tell him how she felt! She watched as his eyes looked hurt and he withdrew his hand. _

_"No Mamoru!" Usagi screamed in her head, desperately trying to say the words. Tears began to brim on her eyes as she begged her lips to move. But it was no use, she was completely frozen. _

_"You don't love me anymore Usako." Mamoru said more to himself than to her. _

_'No! No! I do love you! Mamo-chan!" Usagi frantically tried to clear the misconception._

_He turned away from her. Usagi reached out to grab him when-_

**"And now playing a song from the former group known as the "Three Lights" we give you Nagaraboshi He!" **

Usagi's eye creaked open at the familiar yet unwanted song that began to play from her alarm clock. Oh how she hated her alarm clock. She would love nothing more than to throw it against a wall multiple times. She allowed the music to pull her from her dreams as Seiya's strong voice began singing. She missed Seiya….She wondered if she would ever see him agai-…..**EH! **

Memories of yesterday flooded into her mind and she suddenly shot out of bed.

"I've never seen you wake up so fast." Luna commented with a smile.

Usagi stared out the window, recalling all the things that had happened.

"Usagi-chan, you should probably get going, this is the twelfth time your alarm clock has gone off and you pressed snooze every time. You're definitely going to be late on the first day." Luna sighed.

"Aagh! Luna why didn't you wake me up?!" Usagi stumbled out of bed and frantically tore her pajamas off.

"You looked like you were having a good dream." Luna replied simply.

Usagi stopped for a minute, remembering the last addition to her dream.

"Quit daydreaming and get dressed!" Luna scolded. Usagi nodded and continued putting her uniform on. She rushed out the door with a sandwich hanging from her mouth. Luna watched from the front balcony as Usagi sped down the sidewalk. She shook, a little ashamed that this lazy girl was going to be the queen of this planet.

When Usagi arrived at school, she found a huge crowd standing outside of the school. She had to shove her way through the people to try and find her friends. She suddenly felt someone grab her arm and rip her out of the crowd. She looked to find Minako with the biggest, most excited smile ever.

"What's going on Minako-chan?" Usagi looked dumbfounded.

"How do you manage to not know anything?!" Minako screamed at her. Makoto and Ami also walked up beside them.

"Apparently Lulu is enrolled to go to our high school." Ami said.

"I didn't know this school would have so many celebrities attend." Makoto laughed.

"An angel has heard my heart and answered my prayers!" Minako began fake crying. "Now I'll make her my best friend for sure and we will star in all kinds of movies together! We'll be known as the cosmic twosome! The two most beautiful girls in the world!" Minako began doing her creepy loud laugh that she does. Her friends just stared at her weirdly.

"Can you believe this?" An annoyed voice spat. "This big of a crowd for just one girl?!"

The scouts turned to see Yaten, Taiki, and Seiya being squished by Lulu fans.

"Get off of me!" Yaten hissed while shoving them away.

"No one has even noticed us." Taiki said with a hint of disappointment.

"Isn't that better than having them swarm around you and bombard you with love letters?" Ami giggled. The scouts pushed their way to the three lights.

"She must be really cute to get such a huge crowd." Seiya said charmingly.

"We're glad to have you three back in our school too." Makoto soothed. "And we really appreciate that you're here to help us again." She smiled at them.

Seiya and Taiki nodded, while Yaten continued to fold his arms, close his eyes and pout. Their attention was brought to a white limo that pulled up to the school. Fans crowded around it screaming, constantly being shoved back by security. The scouts wriggled forward, trying to steal a peek at Lulu. A man in a black suit and dark sunglasses stepped out of the vehicle, a swirly wire hung from an earpiece he wore. He walked to the back of the limo and opened the last door.

The scouts could hear girls squealing and boys gasping but they couldn't see the cute girl.

"I CAN'T SEE HER!" minako screamed, trying to pry her way forward.

"She is probably feeling friendless. We should go introduce ourselves." Makoto said thoughtfully.

Usagi was being tossed around by crazed fans. She tried to keep her balance but she was suddenly pushed from behind and stumbled forward. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the hard ground to hit her but her fall was broken by something soft.

"Are you okay?" A male's voice asked with concern.

"….yah…I'm fine.." Usagi slowly opened her eyes to find large dark green orbs staring down at her. She used his strong embrace to pull herself up. She was a little in awe when she got a better look at her savior. He had silky windblown blonde hair that stopped at his shoulders. He had soft facial features and a welcoming smile.

His eyebrow rose slightly when he looked at her hairstyle. "I hope you don't mind me saying this but…..your hairstyle looks like spaghetti with meatballs." He sweetly laughed.

Usagi was mortified. "So I've been told." She laughed nervously.

"Can you believe that Lulu is going to this school?" He turned his attention to the young star. Usagi looked over with him to catch Seiya, Taiki,Yaten and the rest of her friends walking up to Lulu. "I'd believe anything with the way the past few days have gone." She mumbled.

Minako tried to speak but was interrupted by Taiki.

"Hello Lulu-chan," Taiki professionally introduced himself. "I'm glad that we will be going to the same school."

" And I'm—" Minako said quietly but was cut off.

"If you ever need a bodyguard, just come get me." Seiya offered charmingly with a smile and a wink.

"And if you need—" Minako began.

"Or if you want help with studies join our study group." Rei enthusiastically offered.

"Or if you need tutoring, I can help you catch up in classes." Ami smiled sweetly.

"And I can!-"

"Hey Lulu, if you need help finding school activities to get into I can help you out." Makoto did a thumbs up.

Seiya saw that Yaten was crossing his arms and pouting next to him, not saying anything so Seiya nudged his arm. Yaten glared at him then gave up with a sigh.

"….and if you want me to teach you how to actually be a memorable star and not just coast by on childish half-assed work, then I may be able to help you….if I can fit you in my busy schedule." He snobbishly looked down on her with revulsion.

Lulu just stared up at Seiya with surprised bright gold eyes, seeming to completely ignore the rest of them.

"…..l..ulu…luuuluu." Came a quiet murmur. Everyone weirdly glanced back at the now zombie Minako that crouched on her toes and picked at a mushroom with a small stick. Makoto ran over and began shaking her.

"Minako pull yourself together!" she yelled while shaking the drooling blonde.

Lulu stared a few moments longer than a gleaming, angelic smile arose.

"How kind you people are." Sparkles seemed to float around her. "Would you like to be mine and Sylvester's friends?" She referred to the purple bunny resting in her arms. Everyone blushed at her adorable request. Even Yaten darted his eyes away, a slight pinkness appearing on his cheeks. They all nodded in unison.

Lulu's eyes fell back on Seiya, her expression unreadable to the group, except for Yaten who swore he detected a small mischievous spark in her eyes.

"Arigatou!" She then ran and threw her arms around Seiya's waist. He let out a yelp in shock at her sudden affection. She looked like a kitten as she rubbed her face against his stomach.

"Unacceptable!" Minako growled, she jumped up from being on the ground and ran over to try and pull Lulu off of Seiya. Minako's efforts seemed to not even faze Lulu's iron grip on Seiya.

"No NO nO no no! No one is allowed to hug you but me!" Minako cried, continuing to heave Lulu. Seiya wore a silly not knowing what to do expression as his hands twitched. Lulu's security didn't know quite how to react but finally decided to try and pry Minako off of Lulu. The group plus the surrounding crowd watched in astonishment at the scene going on. Lulu looked completely oblivious to the awkward stunt she had just pulled, continuing to purr as she rubbed her face into him.

….

"So you don't go to this school after all?" Usagi interrogated her savior with skeptical eyes. "So why are you here? Did you come all the way here to see Lulu?" She narrowed her eyes.

The guy held up his hands defensively and laughed nervously. "..Eh! NO! I..I brought my sister to see her! That's all!" He said nervously.

"Oh I see!" Usagi put her hands on her hips. "So you're using your sister as an excuse to come and see a girl who's much younger than you and way out of your league!" She said, completely blind to the blatant rudeness.

"….that's a little harsh…" The guy stuck his bottom lip out and pouted cutely.

The bell suddenly rang loudly.

"Oh! I have to go find my friends!" Usagi gasped. "…s..sorry I have to go now! Thanks for saving me!" She called back to him as she took off running towards the school. He watched her vanish into the crowd with a smile.

Usagi finally found her friends and was introduced to Seiya's new cuddle-companion named Lulu. Minako also had a new addition to her image as a grey raincloud sat above her head while she slouched beside them.

AUTHORS NOTE: SORRY FOR ALL MY WEIRD LITTLE DETAILS BUT I TRY TO WRITE IT HOW I SEE IT IN AN EPISODE. AGAIN SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG AND PLEAZ REMEMBER TO REVIEW, I LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT.


	4. don't fall

CHAPTER 4

The scouts had made it in time for the second bell to ring and not be pronounced tardy. Luckily for Seiya, Lulu was not in their home room and had managed to escape her embrace once he promised to show her around after class. By this time, girls had begun to recognize the three lights and an endless crazed atmosphere seemed to drown the school. Four celebrities in the school were enough for gossip to be pretty intense. The starlights and scouts tried to claim seats in the back of the classroom to avoid attention.

Seiya had somehow ended up sitting behind Usagi again. Taiki and Yaten had buried themselves in the middle of the rest of the girls, trying to evade crazy fans.

"I think I like it better when they didn't remember us." Taiki trailed off.

"Well now you got what you wanted." Yaten whispered. "You jinxed us, nice going."

Taiki sent him a death glare that he accepted with a small snicker. The air between the starlights and scouts hadn't quite gotten back to normal yet, and they didn't converse much. Usagi stared out the window as the teacher talked in the backround, her thoughts traveling back to her dream this morning. Why couldn't she answer Mamoru? She had never felt so out of control in her own dream. She had written him almost every day when he had first gone back to America, but he could barely find time to reply. She had felt more like a burden to him and his studies so she had limited it down to once every two weeks. She also tried to refrain from calling him too much. Although she despised the idea of him not being in her life, she had grown quite accustomed to it whether she liked it or not. The thought made her sad. Would things go back to normal, like he'd never been gone when he finally came back….or would they be a bit awkward like they were with the starlights.

She let out a long sigh. She was then jerked from her thoughts when she received a tap on the shoulder. She looked to her left to find a folded note held close to her by a hand that she presumed to be Seiya's. She swiftly took the note and quietly opened it under her desk.

**WHO WAS THAT GUY YOU **

**WERE TALKING WITH EARLIER?**

Usagi smirked at his skepticism. She quickly picked up her pencil and scribbled down a reply, sending the note back to Seiya.

**I DON'T KNOW, SOME GUY I BUMPED INTO. **

A few moments later the note was sent back over.

**LIAR.**

She became frustrated and wrote a reply faster, while biting her lip.

**I'M NOT A LIAR! AND WHY DO YOU CARE ANYWAY!**

It took longer for him to reply this time, but the note eventually tumbled over her shoulder and onto her lap. She slowly opened it.

**YOU SHOULDN'T BE TALKING TO STRANGERS.**

Usagi rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject. A few minutes passed and Seiya assumed their conversation was over but the note fluttered back onto his desk and he quickly opened it. It read "**AND WHAT ABOUT THIS?!" **He looked further down to find a stick figure version of himself being tackled by a small stick figure Lulu. He let out a small chuckle, admiring the uncanny likeness of the situation he had been in before.

Minako, who had been watching the two pass notes to each other, got the idea to use their tactic to try and break the ice. She ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled down a message. She then skillfully turned it into an airplane and sent it crashing onto Yaten's desk. He was surprised by its sudden arrival. Realizing what it was, an agitated expression crossed his face; he slowly picked it up and indelicately unfolded it.

**THANKS FOR COMING BACK.**

He stared down at the note with an uncanny resemblance to the expression he would get when reading fan sent love letters. He picked up his pen and wrote something down. He then without looking sent the plane flying back at Minako, forcing her to quickly interject before it hit her smack in the face. She opened it quickly.

**YOUR THANKS SHOULD GO TO OUR PRINCESS'S KIND HEART. HAD IT BEEN OUR CHOICE WE WOULDN'T HAVE COME. **

**I DON'T LIKE PASSING NOTES SO DON'T SEND THIS BACK TO ME.**

Minako looked to Yaten with a bit of a saddened expression. She knew time had passed but had the starlights really discarded them as friends. Minako was not satisfied with that and picked up her pencil again. **WE MISSED YOU. CAN'T WE STILL BE FRIENDS?**

She once again made an excellent throw and it landed on his desk again. She watched as he shook his head and flicked the plane off of his desk with his fingernail without reading it. She sighed at her failed attempt to regain their friendship and slumped in her seat.

While waiting for Seiya's reply Usagi looked over to see Minako looking troubled by something. She was about to scribble a note and send it to her friend when she received Seiya's note over her shoulder.

**HONESTLY, NOT REALLY SURE HOW THAT HAPPENED. **

She was in the middle of writing her reply back when the bell suddenly rang loudly and the teacher dismissed the class. She decided to discard the note and began packing her books and supplies into her bag.

Once they left the classroom things became a little crazy. Girls were constantly surrounding the Three Lights and shoving the scouts out of the way. Seiya went to find Lulu to show her around and Usagi decided to go with her friends to see what activities there were. While walking down the hall, she nonchalantly slowed so she could be next to Minako, who had her head bowed without knowing it.

"Is anything wrong?" Usagi said quietly to her. Minako looked to her a little surprised, she then had a conflict in her eyes which she quickly suppressed and hid with a smile.

"…It's nothing important." She said to Usagi, silently scolding herself for not hiding her emotions better.

Usagi was not convinced and worried for her friend but decided not to keep pushing for answers.

"Just know that I'm here for you." She smiled sweetly.

…

Although the day should have been short because classes were mainly breezed through on the first day, there were many clubs and activities that you could sign up for and the day had grown long with Minako's friends wanting to visit each and every one. Although she continued to smile for them, she couldn't seem to shake the sadness that she felt and she definitely wasn't in the mood to see anymore clubs.

"Hey guys," Minako got the attention of her friends, who were heading to the cooking club next. "I'm a bit tired today so I think I'm gonna go home early." She tried her hardest to smile and just sound tired and not depressed. Her friends looked concerned as she gave them a wave and began walking away.

Once she was out of her friend's view, she tried less to hide her down mood. She couldn't stop thinking about the starlights and how Yaten had just rejected her note without even reading it. The scouts hadn't really run into them since home room. She had once caught a glimpse of Seiya leading around Lulu, which she was still a little peeved about. She had also seen Taiki and Yaten sitting under a shaded tree talking, but they hadn't met up or anything and aside from those few encounters, they hadn't talked since. She didn't like lying to her friends or making them worry but she felt that she needed to be alone for a while. She had already signed up for the volleyball team so she saw no need in continuing with them to other clubs.

She decided to go to a place where she could think. And after walking for a while she found herself at the gym. She was surprised but relieved that no one was there, and shut the doors behind her. She unlocked the equipment closet and quickly set up the volley ball net, bringing out a bucket of balls as well.

Once finished, she positioned herself on one side of the net with the bucket sitting next to her. She picked one ball out, tossed it high up in the air, and once it came back within reach, she punched it with her palm as hard as she could. It soared over the net to the other side of the room and pounded into the wall, creating a loud echo. It felt good to take her frustration out on the ball. She picked out more and continued to hit them over with all of her strength until the bucket was empty. She was panting heavily as sweat trickled down her face. She took her jacket off and tossed it to the side, before grabbing the bucket and walking over to the other side of the room to fetch the balls.

Once she had collected all of them, she contemplating putting them back in the closet but she had more steam to blow off. She started to drag the bucket back to the other side so that she could continue to practice when the sound of the door bursting open ricocheted through the room. She spun around to find a boy she recognized from the last years soccer team, come stumbling into the room. His hair was brown and spiky, but his face was pale and sweating. His sunken eyes were dark and full of fear. He was violently coughing and struggling to breathe. He made it a few steps then collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest. She quickly sped over and knelt beside him, trying to help support him.

"Are you okay?" She said a little panicked. "Are you sick? Should I get the school doctor?"

His eyes looked forward instead of at her.

"P…pl...please hel..p…m..me...I…feel…s..so ..col..d ..!" He whimpered. His strangled voice struggled to get the words out. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed 911. She held it to her ear, while holding the boy's clammy hand in hers. A murderous scream pushed passed his lips and his pupils became slits while the rest of his eye turned a blood red. She shut her phone and watched in horror as his skin along with his cloths evolved into a sickening black.

"Get away!" He snarled, shoving her back.

"No!" She screamed. "I can help you!"

"..get…away…"

His teeth slowly grew sharp and monster-like. He barely looked like himself anymore. His breathing was choppy and painful.

She instinctively leapt backwards and whipped out her transformation wand and yelled, "Venus crystal power, Make up!" quickly transforming into Sailor Venus.

She finished and quickly looked to where he had been but he was no longer lying on the ground. Her eyes darted around the room with a nervous expression. She was ripped from comfort when the lights in the gym suddenly shut off, leaving Sailor Venus in complete darkness.

…

"You guys about ready to go?" Rei asked her friends, finally arriving at their school. She had tried to convince them to meet her halfway but they insisted that she come the full length since they weren't done looking at school activities that they could enroll in.

"Yeah, we're just waiting for Ami to finish signing up for the computer activities." Makoto reported.

Rei nodded. She suddenly looked confused. "Where's Minako-chan?"

"She went home early." Usagi said in an undertone, obviously worried about her friend.

"She said she was tired." Makoto answered. Rei looked worried as well. She flipped out her phone and dialed Minako's number only to get her answering machine.

"Maybe she's sleeping…" Makoto tried to rationalize.

"I don't know why…but I've got a really bad feeling." Rei said, her eyebrows twitching.

"Hello Rei-chan." Ami said, finally rejoining the group.

"Ami, do you have Minako's mother's phone number?" Rei quickly asked.

"I think so." She replied and pulled out her calculator computer thing. She began to press buttons and scroll down.

Rei got the number and quickly pounded it into her phone.

"Oy Odango! What are you doing?" Seiya walked out of the school with Taiki and Yaten by his side.

"You guys, you haven't seen Minako-chan anywhere around have you?" Usagi's eyes pleaded.

The starlights were a little surprised by the sudden seriousness. They slowly shook their heads.

"Not since class earlier….is she missing?" Seiya questioned with a hint of uneasiness.

Usagi looked very concerned. "…I don't know."

"She is now." Rei interrupted. "Her mother is at their house and she said Minako isn't there."

"She said she was tired, I thought she'd go straight home." Ami added.

"We need to find her." Makoto critically announced.

The three lights and the girls split up.

…

Minako's breathing became shaky and she desperately tried to calm it so she could hear better. What was worse than actually fighting the creature was neither being able to see it nor hear it but knowing that it was somewhere close to her. She was certain it hadn't tried to escape. No. Someone turned that boy and then sent him to her. She squeezed her fingers together, the fabric of her gloves bringing little, but some comfort.

"….U…Urayama-san?" She called to him, trying not to let her voice tremble. The room had somehow become colder. She tried to remember which way the exit was but she was completely lost in the darkness. She lifted her hand out in front of her, barely able to make out her white glove. She suddenly jolted as she heard something move to her right side, not six feet away from her. She began quietly taking steps back, hoping that he was as blind as she but it was doubtful.

She continued to back away from the noise she had heard when she suddenly bumped into something and gasped. She spun around, desperately hoping it had been a wall, but knew she was wrong when something plowed into her stomach. The breath was knocked out of her as she flew backwards and painfully hit into the ground. She quickly came to the conclusion that she was no match for him in this pitch darkness. There were two exits from the room. One leading outside, and one deeper into the school. Either was better than this horrible darkness.

She could hear him purposefully dragging his fingernails across the floor creating a terrible screech. He was coming at her slowly to try and frighten her. She quickly got to her feet and waited till she had a better idea of where he was. Once she heard him only a few feet away she yelled, "VENUS! LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" sending her power shooting at him. She heard a shrill scream and took that moment to turn around and dart forward hoping to run into a wall that she could quickly follow to a door. The wall didn't come soon enough. He was apparently much faster, for she suddenly felt an agonizing blow to her back and she lurched forward and ran into what she presumed to be the wall. She could taste blood on her lips and feel it trickling down her forehead. Trying to ignore the pain throughout her body, she supported herself on the wall and tried to move quickly along it. Her face turned to stare into the darkness, ready to send her attack at any sign of him. She continued to crawl along the wall, praying that she would make it to a door in time.

She was sent into a shock as something huge slammed into her. It was thick and sticky. She was being pinned to the wall and slowly being smothered by it. It was freezing cold and almost felt like it was trying to seep into her own body. She tried to move her arms but it was like being stuck in tar. She remembered what had happened to Sailor Mars the Night before and imagined this was something similar. There was so much pressure on her chest and she struggled to breathe as the blackness continued to ooze around her body. The cold soothed her aching body and all she wanted to do was fall asleep. To give in to the powerful force that surrounded her, slowly eating her up. Her eyes began to droop and her breathing became very shallow.

"That's the way, beautiful senshi. Just let it in you and allow it to become one with your flesh. Soon you won't feel any pain." His disgusting voice coaxed.

She was repulsed by the thought that she was about to be defeated and taken to the negaverse to join them but it was becoming more tempting. She could feel herself giving into it. She had never felt this way before. She was actually growing to like the way it felt around her. The bliss and the sensation that it brought her was overwhelming. She could feel herself wanting more of it. Everything was becoming a blur and all she could feel was cold. She closed her eyes and felt herself slipping.

'Minako pull yourself together!' she remembered Makoto cutely shaking her and saying that to her earlier in the day. 'Just know that I'm here for you.' Usagi had tried to soothe her pain. She remembered all the times her friends had been there for her. How they had fought beside her and helped her through the tough times. She was sent here to protect her loyal friends and princess. Now she was letting them and herself down. A blown out flame was suddenly relit. She could feel it burning brightly within her.

"No!" Her eyes shot open. Beginning to breath heavily again. 'I won't let it happen' she fiercely thought to herself. 'I won't be defeated this easily!'

"What are you doing!" The shade panicked.

"For all that I have fought for," She struggled. The black muck had now completely oozed over her legs and feet and was seeping upward towards her neck.

"Your friends don't really care or else they would be here now!" The shade screeched.

"For all that I believe in!.." Her voice was growing stronger and more determined.

"You're such a fool! I'll kill you!"

"I CALL UPON THE POWER OF VENUS!" Sailor Venus chanted. The blackness quickly covered over the rest of Sailor Venus. It grew silent. Then there was suddenly a dim glow from inside the black. All of it suddenly exploded off of her body and a brilliant yellow glow erupted around her body, illuminating the entire room.

The gym door suddenly busted open the scouts piled in.

"Venus!" Sailor Moon said in shock.

"You have leeched onto this boy for long enough!" She glowered at the receding shade.

"VENUS!" she held her hand out for her sign to appear. "LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" she dominantly yelled. Her golden force plowed into the shade making him shriek and spit in pain.

Venus whipped her head around. "Sailor Moon, N—"

"Look out!" Sailor Mars screamed.

"NOOO!" the shadow shrieked and shot a long dripping arm at the unsuspecting Sailor Venus. She gasped and spun around too slowly as it was about to hit her. She became confused as something soft suddenly grabbed her waist and hoisted her out of the way.

"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO!" Sailor Star Healer yelled and a bolt of her power slammed the shade into the wall.

Sailor Venus opened her eyes to find bright green ones staring down at her. She lightly gasped from finding herself being supported by Sailor Star Healer. She gave Sailor Venus a knowing smirk, then tightened her grasp and jumped out of the way to avoid another attack from the shade.

"STAR SERIOUS LASER!" Sailor Star Fighter shot her blast at the shade. Smoke was rising from it and it struggled to get to its feet again.

"Sailor Moon! Now!" Sailor Star Fighter shouted. Sailor Moon nodded.

"STARLIIIIIIIIGHT HONEYMOOOON THERAPYYY KISSS!" She held her scepter above her head and a bright light surrounded the shade. He began to scream loudly and cover his face. The black muck bubbled and slowly melted off of his skin. Once it was all gone, there was only a teen boy left who crumpled to the ground with a moan.

Everything calmed down and everyone slowly looked to Sailor Venus.

…..

"Why do I have to be the one to carry her?" Yaten complained as he struggled to keep Minako stationed on his back. The group walked down the sidewalk towards Minako's house.

"Because you were the one who was rude to her in the first place, causing her to take her anger out in the gym where she was attacked." Seiya answered, not feeling the least bit sorry for his friend.

"I saved her didn't I?!" Yaten growled.

"Stop complaining. You're wasting your breath." Taiki smirked.

Yaten glared at him but didn't say anything else.

"Sorry we weren't there to help you earlier Minako-chan." Makoto looked down.

Usagi was on the verge of tears.

"No guys! Don't feel bad!" She shot up, making Yaten grunt. "I learned a lot about myself today! I think it was best for me to face such a thing on my own. I imagine all of you will have to go through the same type of thing before this is all over so it's best that I got it over with first!" Minako beamed at her friends. They looked confused but laughed at her way of thinking, except for Usagi who was still sniffling.

"So….You don't need us anymore?.." Usagi's baby voice whined.

"Ofcourse I do!" Minako shouted, looking to Usagi like she was crazy. "I will always need you guys! Even when I was there alone…I wasn't really alone. You will always be with me…so I was able to be strong.

Usagi looked to her with bug eyes full of tears.

"Wait no!" Yaten yelped as he saw the inevitable coming.

"Minako-chan!" Usagi ran and jumped onto Minako, her weight obviously too much for little Yaten and he was squished to the cement. Totally ignoring Yaten's pain, Usagi and Minako continued to sit on top of Yaten, hugging and crying like babies into each others arms.

The scouts plus Seiya and Taiki were incredibly amused by the sight.

AUTHORS NOTE: THERE WILL BE MORE SEIYA AND USAGI SHENANIGANS GOING ON SOON. JUST TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING SET UP. THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW!


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